


Maybe I'm Amazed

by Krash33



Category: Wentworth (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-07
Updated: 2018-09-14
Packaged: 2019-07-08 00:45:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15919530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Krash33/pseuds/Krash33
Summary: Bea Smith and Allie Novak meet in university; AU that follows their young adulthood experiences and lives after they separately traveled from Australia to find new beginnings in the States and finding themselves sharing an apartment in the city. A slow-burner that includes the ups & downs in Bea and Allie's lives and eventual relationship, as well as the support from their interesting crew of friends.





	1. Stuck in the Storm

“Yes, I have it! Yes, Mum … yep, I understand! Mhm… I am listening!” Allie rolled her eyes as her mother figure continued to rattle off concerns and tips for dealing with whatever situation or incident she had imagined that may put Allie in harm’s way. 

“I’m only being a nag because I worry about you, bub, you know that,” Kaz said on the other line of the phone, only having Allie out of her sight for four days now. 

“I do know that, but you have to trust me and let me be! I’m independent, I know how to handle my own, and you’re the one who taught me, yeah?” Allie finds a bench along the path to sit a while and attempted to qualm her older friend’s worries.

“Yeah, I know, I know… It’s just other pe-“ 

“People you don’t trust, I got it” Allie cut Kaz off mid-sentence that is always repeated when Allie went somewhere by herself, or like when she drove alone after she received her driver’s license, or prior to leaving the house to attend a classmate’s party…

“Alright, I’ll let up on ya… for now.” Kaz smirked knowing Allie rolled her eyes at her probably for the 57th time since she rang her up to check-in. 

“I appreciate that, and I appreciate you, mumma. I’ll call you soon, okay?” Allie said as she bent over to pick up a rock that stood out from the others surrounding it, moving it around in her hand to look at the different angles of it. 

“I’m holding you to it, bubba. Take care of yourself.” Kaz said with genuine love and concern.

“You do the same. Bye, Kaz” Allie pocketed the rock before hearing a “bye” on the other line, pocketing her phone in the opposite jacket pocket and sliding her hands into the pockets to generate some warmth as the autumn weather was rather chilly that day. 

Allie leaned back to rest her upper back on the bench, kicking her legs out in front of her and crossing one over the other. Autumn days in the States were similar to those spring days in Australia, but Allie appreciated the difference in atmospheres. As a 21 year-old transfer student from across the globe, Allie Novak was definitely seeking adventure and relocating to New York City to study at NYU was a major step in the right direction to continue her journey. She had just settled into her flat that was shared with another student at the university who she had yet to meet, granted she’s only been in the States for three days and classes begin on Monday, two days from today. 

Allie allowed herself to briefly reflect on the last couple of months leading up to the big move and enrollment in an American university that has a great urban design and architecture program. Kaz along with a couple of her friends whom she lived with over in Aussie supported her through this monumental time in her life and credits them for giving her the motivation and will to apply and make some moves. Her past is her past, yet the detrimental effects it caused and the consequences for decisions, that seemed impossible to make given the context and circumstances, still lingered and influenced her thought processes and emotions.

Allie reflected on the most current moments happening in her life, taking the underground to Central Park and mentally patting herself on the back for not getting lost for once. Snickering under her breath at her own quirk, Allie tossed her head back pulling a long breath inwards of cool, fresh air that the park provided, a nice break from the eclectic city smells that now surround her since the move. 

She was hopeful, and scared, and excited, and energized, and anxious… The flurry of mixed emotions present in her forebrain, causing Allie to screw her eyes shut and hold her breath for a solid 20 seconds before slowly exhaling and opening her eyes to stare at the colored leaves canopying her and the background painted with the grey, ominous sky. 

Running from a physical location to another will not rid of your problems, but the effort to keep an open mind and more positive attitude will help to mend the broken parts caused by conflict, heartbreak, and reality. Allie knew this better than most individuals her age who most likely haven’t dealt with what she has in her adolescence and beginning of young adulthood. While running away from her homeland of Australia wouldn’t change her past alone, a new environment was certainly welcomed. 

Allie briefly closed her eyes to remember the positives that are associated with her big decision to take control over her young-adult life and to do what she wants to do. 

To exercise the _freedom_ she has. 

A rain drop falls and lands right between Allie’s eyes on her forehead, causing her head to slightly jerk from the unexpected action. 

“I’m either going to get stuck out here in the downpour and revel in the storm, perhaps even dance, or I’m going to freeze my tits off” Allie said out loud as she sat up on the bench and looked around the park for impending rain. A gust of wind came out of nowhere followed by the opening of the grey skies that released the metaphorical cats and dogs.

“Oi!” Allie exclaimed with a hint of amusement in her voice, springing up onto her feet, the pouring rain appeared white from the amount of water falling from the sky with force. 

Other park-goers ran alongside and past Allie with shelter as their collective goal. Allie had to remember where the subway entrance was from her current location in the park, chastising herself for wandering and forgetting her way … once again. It was useless and inadvisable to pull her phone out to find her way back to the subway station on her way home to the neighborhood near the university’s campus. In attempt to save her phone from water damage, she gripped her phone in her hand trying to cover it from her jacket that was quickly getting soaked and the droplets of water falling or splashing into her pockets. 

She decided to keep running until she was met with the city-scape in view and sidewalk below her feet instead of a mixture of grass and asphalt paths. From there, she would be able to find a shop or building that could provide shelter until she could look-up how to find her way back to her apartment. 

The street lined with endless buildings, heavy traffic, and people rushing about to get out of the rain. The sounds of the taxis, cars, and buses wheels on the wet ground mixing with the typical sounds of vehicle horns sounding into the loud, stormy orchestra being conducted. 

If Allie wasn’t getting completely drenched from the merciless rain, and maybe sitting next to the windows while indoors listening and watching the storm, she would appreciate all her surroundings right now. But unfortunately, she was still briskly walking to the Starbucks a block away for a dry place to figure out where she was bloody going. 

Storms used to frighten Allie as a young girl, but the beauty of thunder, lightning, and downpours became more apparent to her. As she grew into her teenage years, Allie was a storm-chaser. Maybe not a storm-chaser in the commonly known way, but she never wanted to miss observing one as they became her escape for even a short while. She appreciated a storm that wasn’t occurring inside of her for at least 20 minutes. 

Apparently, everyone and their mother had the idea to take shelter in Starbucks because she barely had room to move her arms let alone find a seat or standing area. She threw an apologetic look to a woman who she accidentally elbowed while pulling her phone out of her absolutely soaked-through jacket.

“Lovely,” Allie sarcastically said upon looking at the slight moisture on the screen seeing that is was mostly covered during her walk. 

She craned her neck to get a look at where the napkin dispenser was so she could grab a couple and dry off her hands and phone to use it. She located it and began a sequence of “pardon me”, “sorry”, “‘scuse me, mate” falling out of her mouth as she maneuvered her body around the mass of people. 

Allie finally reached her destination peeved to see that there weren’t any napkins left. 

“Oh bloody hell! Really?!” She scoffed but chuckled at the situation, not one to take things that seriously. 

She looked around to see if any patrons of the café had any napkins lying around on their tables. The blonde woman was struggling to see through people’s bodies and bags respectively. 

“Fuck it,” she thought, by now her hands were mostly dry and her phone would still function without being completely dry; she just wanted to get home. 

25 minutes later, Allie had found her way to the subway station and back to her apartment, having an easier time getting back than going to her original destination a few hours ago. 

The storm had slightly let up when she was walking to the station from Starbucks, but she didn’t know the weather had picked back up again once she hopped off the public transportation and made her way to the street. Those cats and dogs from before were back, litters upon litters. A torrential downpour was definitely preferred from inside. 

Allie hurriedly ran up her front steps to the front entrance when she approached her apartment building. She leaned her back against the closed door, puffing out a breath of air from her cheeks, rolling her eyes and smiling brightly at her little adventure. 

She made her way up the few flights of stairs to the third floor where her and her roommate’s suite was, 301. 

Allie dug her keys out of her back pants pocket that was covered by the jacket she was wearing, however, her jeans were also soaked, so she really had to fight to get her hand into her pocket. Allie struggled more than she probably should have and did a little wiggle, biting her lip as she tried to fish these damn keys out of her pocket. 

“Ah, yes! Finally,” Her exclamation punctuated with her signature eye roll. She unlocked the door and was surprised to see another woman standing in the common area. 

Allie quickly observed the woman who was looking around the room, her back turned away from Allie as she looked outside of the window that was technically the back of the flat. 

Allie realized the other woman hadn’t heard her unlock the door or enter their apartment but didn’t want to startle her at the same time.

“Hi…” Allie said softly, not wanting her usually louder voice scaring the shit out of the other occupant. 

The woman whipped her head around, obviously unaware that Allie had entered. Her big brown eyes full of shock took in the appearance of who she assumed was her roommate for the academic year. The school had an off-campus housing system that actually helped students find somewhat affordable housing most likely because they feel guilty that they can’t afford to house all of their undergrads. 

“Hi, you look…” The woman said with a quizzical look on her face, not knowing how to politely and accurately describe the sight in front of her. 

“Like a drowned chihuahua? Yeah, gotta love the rain.” Allie snorted, shrugging her shoulders in a ‘what can you do?’ sort of way.

She took a few steps into the apartment, extending her arm out to shake the other woman’s hand. 

“I’m Allie, and by the sounds of it, you are also an Aussie, eh?” Allie smiled brightly, liking the idea that a fellow Australian was studying and living abroad. 

“I’m actually a Kiwi, but I lived most of my life in Australia, so the accent stumps most. I’m Bea.” Bea reached for Allie’s hand, noting that the woman had a nice, firm handshake unlike most people and their floppy excuse of a shake. 

“I apologize for my appearance. I was at the park when the skies decided to open up.” Allie looked down her front, noting how much water was dripping off her.”

She drew her lips in, biting down and raising her eyebrows then scrunching her nose. “I should probably shower, dry off and clean up the puddles I’m bringing in. But I would love to chat more! I mean, if you’d care to.” Allie came off forward to most, but was genuinely interested in meeting the woman she’d be sharing a living space with. 

“Sounds good to me. Fancy a cuppa when you get settled? I was going to put a kettle on for myself, but you’re more than welcome to join me.” Bea offered, not put off by the woman as she normally was by human beings. 

“That’s lovely, thank you. I’ll be right out!” Allie always walked with a little pep in her step, but not so much that she looked strange, it just suited her.

Bea gave her a small smile and nod before she watched Allie turn and head towards her bedroom and bathroom.

Bea returned looking around the apartment, the warm lighting illuminating the room as the dark midday weather set the calming mood. It was time for Bea to collect her thoughts, only getting into New York three hours ago traveling with a backpack, a carry-on bag and her suitcase. She figured she’d go shopping for apartment stuff when she arrived in the States, got the keys to her apartment, and was able to put her belongings in her room before venturing out to the shops.

Bea was like any other human being on the planet with her share of misfortunes, the ups and downs, the milestones, the hardships, a past. Her upbringing and coming of age were definitely rocky that conditioned her to be a guarded and skeptical individual. Bea craved a new beginning in her fucking life and moving across the world would hopefully be the start she so desperately needed and wanted. She was aware that everyone was dealing with their own demons and setbacks, she certainly wasn’t ignorant of that fact. She usually brushed her own problems off like they didn’t matter and focused on others’ issues, but after this last summer, she knew she had to at least acknowledge her shitty situation and do something.

Watching the rain roll down the window and make the distant lights blur and become painted streaks across the glass was always calming to Bea. It was cliché to watch the rain or a storm and feel so calm or pensive, but it was for real. She watched water dance off of the railing of the fire escape that was built along the side of the building, their section’s flight of stairs’ landing directly outside of their window which Bea noted incase of any emergency that may happen and she needed to exit. Well, she and Allie. 

Allie.

Bea remembered that she wasn’t alone in the small apartment anymore, momentarily forgetting due to her own thoughts and past controlling her mind. She took one last look out of the bigger window and moved into the kitchen where the box of tea bags she brought with her sat. She assumed it was okay to use the kettle that was already there when she asked Allie if she would also like a cup of tea, so she filled it up and put it on to heat up. She found two mugs and placed them on the counter, hoisting herself up and sitting next to the sink as she waited for the kettle to whistle. 

Bea leaned her head back on the cabinet above the counter, crossing her arms over her chest, an act of body language that was natural for her. Bea was bummed she couldn’t make it out to the shops with this torrential downpour and thunderstorm happening. 

As she thought about how crappy the weather is, a big clap of thunder sounded and made Bea open her eyes and make a face signaling she was impressed with how loud it was. She would have to wait it out or possibly wait until tomorrow to pick up necessities. 

Thankfully, she had her clothes, toiletries, tea, and sketching supplies. She was aware that the apartment came furnished with kitchen appliances including the fridge and stove, as well as a simple dining table and four chairs that sat in the area between the kitchen and living room. The bedrooms didn’t come furnished which meant Bea didn’t have a bed to sleep in or dressers to put her clothes in. The living area had a plain shelf, and a basic college-model couch and chair. There wasn’t a homey or lived-in feel to it yet which Bea was sure would change once the weeks go by and she and Allie settle in more and more. Bea planned on going to IKEA to buy furniture to build for her apartment since she didn’t own any in her hometown, and going around to other shops to buy things for her room, the kitchen and the bathroom. She didn’t like being weighed down by things… Anything. Material stuff or emotional baggage type things. It wasn’t Bea’s style because she’s witnessed someone being weighed down her whole life to turn around and face crushing under the pressure of how much emotional and mental weight was on her shoulders. 

So, she packed lightly, bringing her absolute necessities to get her by along with her credit card attached to a decent amount of money that is reflective of how Bea has saved her earnings. She never planned on driving in the city, not having to with the accessible and norm of New Yorkers’ culture of taking public transportation. Bea didn’t mind walking, or even riding a bike to campus since it was only six blocks away from their apartment, so she didn’t have to worry about paying the expenses for a car. Tuition was being settled within the next couple of weeks just waiting on processing due to being an international transfer student. 

Bea was actually amazed that she was able to pull off paying the initial fees and taking care of everything like housing, registering for classes, setting up the financial plan for tuition and filling out forms regarding her scholarship and aid. 

Nothing like the last minute. 

Bea heard slippers lightly scuffing across the floor and fixed her gaze on Allie in casual clothing accessorized with panda slippers. 

Bea snorted and braced herself on the counter, putting her weight on her arms, smirking at Allie.

“What? You don’t like panda bears?” Allie said with mock offense and a smirk on her face with her hand on her hip. 

“I have nothing against them… They’re very,” Bea squinted her eyes and cocked her head, a smirk toying at her lips. 

“Cute?” Bea finished in a questioning tone.

The kettle began to whistle signaling that it was ready to be poured into the cups for their tea. Bea turned her attention to the stove as she hopped down from the counter-top, shutting it off and grabbing a potholder to grab the kettle.

“I hope you don’t mind that I had to use your kettle.” Bea said, keeping her attention fixed on the boiling hot water being poured from the spout. 

“Oh that’s totally cool, I have no issue with that. Also, I kinda figured you wouldn’t have one if it wasn’t out here.” Allie looked around the kitchen, Bea glancing over her shoulder as she steeped the tea bags into their mugs. 

“Say, when did you get in?” Allie questioned as she took a seat at the table, pulling her legs up to bring her knees up to her chest. 

“I must have just missed ya because it was about four and half hours ago now,” Bea said as she carefully brought their mugs to the table. 

“You’re the best for making me a cup, cheers!” Allie picked her mug up barely lifting it up careful not to spill it on her. She daintily took a sip, cautious not to burn her tongue or lips. 

“And to follow up on your assumption that I do not own a tea kettle, you’d be correct. I don’t own anything of the sort. I came here expecting to purchase everything new for myself and our apartment. However,” 

Bea rolled her eyes and raised her arm gesturing towards the window, letting her arm fall and hit her leg as she continued, “the weather didn’t really allow for me to head to the shops, so I am kicking it on the couch tonight it seems.” Bea shrugged, her facial expression seemingly unphased. 

Allie giggled and took another sip of her tea allowing it to warm her body and touch her soul.

“So, Bea…?” Allie trailed off.

“Smith. Bea Smith.” Bea affirmed for her, looking over her mug as she took a sip after answering.

“I’m Allie. Allie Novak.” Allie tried to mimic Bea’s raspy and slightly deeper voice and failed, making both chuckle, Allie more so than her counterpart. 

“I do not sound anything remotely like that!” Bea said with her hands out like ‘what the fuck?!’

Allie continued to laugh, nodding and laughing a little more when Bea rolled her eyes and flipped her off with a smirk on her face that was feigning annoyance yet amused. Bea couldn’t help but notice the positive vibes filling the apartment as their conversation progressed and Allie’s teasing and laughter making the darker day seem a bit brighter. 

“I think we’re going to have quite the interesting academic year, Bea.” Allie playfully winked, wrapping her arms around her legs as she rested her head on the tops of her knees.

“I think you may be right, Allie.” Bea tried her best to sound like Allie and failing horribly as they both shared a look and burst out laughing. 

Bea hasn’t laughed like this in a while, but that was just a fleeting thought in her mind as she tuned into what Allie was attempting to say as their laughter died down.

“Hey, do you know how to construct IKEA furniture?” Bea asked bringing the cup of tea to her lips.

Allie looked at her like she was mad. 

This was going to be quite the interesting year indeed with Bea Smith.


	2. Homework and Smoke?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allie and Bea get into the swing of things and spend more time together, bonding over coursework and smoking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone! My girlfriend came to visit me at school this past weekend, and being a uni student have caused a delay in this update - so I apologize! Just for a heads up (I don't know if it's a possible trigger?) there is mention/description of marijuana use in this chapter as well as a very brief mention of past drug use/addiction, so be aware for that! I hope you enjoy the slow burn and relationship development. Cheers!

“Why does syllabus week stress me out this much?! It’s my what,” Allie counted with her fingers as she looked up while bobbing her head back and forth expressing that she’s truly recounting past syllabus weeks in her mind. “Fifth one? And it just drives me mad!” She finished with a huff plopping onto the uncomfortable couch after she threw her backpack onto the floor in the common area.

Bea watched her amusingly as she finished her midday snack of grapes and apple slices, popping a piece of fruit into her mouth smirking as she chewed.

Allie glanced over at her roommate a few moments after her dramatics died down not paying much attention to what Bea was doing or anything, anxiety making her thoughts race and panic set in as she received course agendas and the deadlines for assignments, projects, and exams in the span of two days. Her five courses were broken up into having only one class on Mondays and Wednesdays and four back-to-back classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. While Allie loved the fact that she managed to build a schedule without classes on Fridays, her deadlines were going to be close in date. 

She wanted to shake off this discouraged and overwhelmed feeling that she was experiencing because her goal was to maintain a solid GPA and actually enjoy her coursework that was a bit more advanced than the first two years full of gen ed courses and more specific to her major. But it was difficult for Allie to remain positive sometimes, regardless of her usually upbeat, bright personality, because life for her wasn’t always full of sunshine and optimism whatsoever and her brain was almost conditioned to automatically dread the worst. But she wanted to hope for the best.

“I’m sorry for that. Sometimes my life sucks too much for me to handle at the moment,” Allie apologetically looked at Bea as she shrugged her shoulders. 

“Righto, I absolutely understand.” Bea said in her rapsy voice, not speaking much because she hadn’t been out of the apartment yet other than her early morning run because she didn’t have class until 5 pm on Tuesdays, so she hasn’t spoken much. “I’m not put off by your little vent, no worries,” Bea said before she sipped her cup of coffee. 

“I sometimes wish I could just fast forward and not have to deal with the stress of school anymore and be established in my career,” Allie pensively said, stretching her legs out on the couch, her elbow leaned against the back of the couch, propping her head that was turned towards Bea. 

“Ready for retirement are ya?” Bea snorted, shaking her head in amusement at her new friend’s wish.

Allie just laughed in response, her loud laughs filling the apartment and causing Bea to lightly giggle, the laugh honestly being contagious. 

Allie stopped laughing and let out a huge sigh, swinging her legs from the couch to stand into an upward position. 

“I just have to take it one day at a time,” Allie groaned the last part as she stretched her back and arms out. 

Bea watched Allie’s face scrunch up and then relax as she released her stretch, making eye contact with the blonde. 

“I need something to eat before I start reading for my fucking courses,” Allie said as she made her way into the kitchen to find a snack. She rummaged through the fridge trying to find something quick but good, yet nothing sounded appetizing.

“Do you want me to cut up an apple for ya? They’re really good” Bea said from behind Allie, causing the taller woman to jump and clench her fist. 

“Jesus fuck! You scared me! When did ya even come in here?!” Allie said through a laugh as she wiped her face with her hand, keeping it on her forehead being one to frighten easily.

Bea chuckled, “I didn’t mean to give you a fright, I just heard you go through every single thing in the fridge about a dozen times and figured I’d suggest fixing you the same snack I had,” Bea finished with a playful smirk even though she was being genuine. 

Allie smiled and moved away from the refrigerator letting Bea grab an apple and a bunch of grapes to wash up for her roommate.

Allie just stood watching Bea cut up her apple as she realized how quiet and calm her demeanor was. Bea wasn’t one to be as chatty or loud as Allie, but she had a different vibe to her today.

“Eh, Bea?” 

“Hm?” Bea sounded in response, not looking up from the knife and apples in her hand. 

“Why are you so… quiet today?” Allie questioned, fixing her eyes on the redhead’s face noting her small smile and semi-heavy eyes.

“Quiet? I’ve been talking to you, haven’t I?” Bea quipped, throwing a look at Allie.

Allie cocked her head to the side and squinted her eyes in suspicion, not knowing what was off about her roommate. She observed the other woman still carefully cutting the apple for the snack she was making her when it hit her.

“Bea Smith,” Allie said in an accusatory tone as to catch her in the act, “You’re pinned, aren’t ya?” She finished with her finger in Bea’s direction, eyes wide with an ‘I can’t believe it’ look on her face.

“Piss of, would ya?! I’m not pinned.” Bea couldn’t help but giggle after trying to act seriously with Allie, her front quickly diminishing.

“You so are! What is it?! Weed?” Allie was thoroughly amused at her roommate’s state and the fact that she was learning something new about Bea that she probably wouldn’t have assumed otherwise. 

Bea just started to laugh and shook her head unable to answer Allie, but her lack of response and reaction to the question answered her inquiries.

“You cheeky bitch! I wouldn’t reckon you do any of the harder shit, eh?” Allie was curious and if she had to ask these types of questions she would absolutely do so. She moved to perch on her chair loving this fun fact about Bea.

“God no, I just smoke some ganja for multiple reasons. But I’m not a drug addict.” Bea said as she handed the bowl of fruit to the blonde sitting at their table. 

Allie smiled up at Bea as she took the bowl of fruit and popped a grape into her mouth. After a few chews, she spoke, “I have a history with drugs, but I don’t want to delve into that just yet… But know that I am not a drug user anymore.” She popped another grape into her mouth watching Bea’s facial expressions to see if she would detect disgust or disappointment in her features. 

Bea took a seat opposite of Allie and propped her head up with the palm of her hand, her fingers threaded through her long red locks. 

“Hey, everyone has a past and has their fair share of demons, I’m sure of it. I can’t and don’t judge,” Bea finished with a shrug, smiling at her roommate to convey that she was not turned off by Allie’s words. 

“I like high Bea, she’s very nice and calm,” Allie mused, biting off a piece of her apple slice and crinkling her nose up in delight.

“High Bea,” Bea laughed, shaking her head but finding her to be quite funny that afternoon. 

“Enjoy your snack… I have homework to do before class later,” Bea gestured towards Allie’s bowl and walked away towards her bedroom to start working.

“Oi! What homework do you have as an art major?” Allie asked like the smartass she was, sending Bea a smirk as the redhead stopped walking and turned to roll her eyes at her roommate.

“Oh, piss off!” Bea just laughed and flipped Allie off. That girl was something else and Bea had a feeling she’d be challenged and tested by Allie the whole while. 

 

 

Allie loved buildings, structures, design, spatial dynamics, presentation, and so on… 

Architecture and urban planning was her passion that she ironically found through the dark times in her life when survival and finding the next hit was her primary goal. But with her lifestyle and consequential circumstances, Allie found herself realizing and enjoying staring at buildings and the different elements of architecture she later learned all about in uni. 

Allie wanted to make something of herself and knew that getting an education is the best option for her life and her aspirations. NYU was a great school not only in the States but around the globe, so being accepted into their undergrad program as a junior transfer to earn her bachelor’s and then go on to master’s school either in New York or elsewhere to further her education and gain more knowledge as well as experience in the field. Gaining experience and interning with architects and urban planners/designers was what Allie was really looking forward to in the coming years. She knew she had to be mindful throughout her journey and expect hardships, disappointment, but also growth, successes, and experiences to gain. 

She found herself emerged in her courses this semester, actually enjoying the material for once unlike the first couple years of general courses that were required. A new norm developed in the girls’ apartment over the past couple of weeks, after syllabus week when they both started getting into the groove of things, that they do homework in the common area if they’re both home from class or have time in their schedules to keep each other company. The common area has since been taken over by various books, easels, sketch pads and newspapers, drawing and cutting instruments, papers, and lamps, but it was almost an organized type of chaotic mess… much like how the girls view their lives. 

Homework time usually consisted of Allie’s mumbled swear words and frustrated groans sounding in the open area and Bea’s humming or footsteps as she’s always moving when brainstorming for working on a new project. And this homework session was no different.

“Argh! I cannot figure out how to rearrange these few units for the complex to look the way I want it to!” Allie groaned, quickly pushing her hair back out of frustration. She put her pencil down and looked at her laptop for measurements to reconfigure certain dimensions in the units that were causing her grief. 

Bea looked over from her easel, perched on her little stool that was always being moved from one end of the room to the other, depending on where the lighting was the best for working on her projects. She was currently working on an abstract that was assigned to convey her mood through the piece that was essentially a free-style type of project for Bea to do watch she pleases with it. 

She had always been more of a sketcher, which remains true in her young adulthood, but she has experimented with painting more and more over the years. She loves the control and sharper vision she uses while sketching or drawing what comes to her mind or a subject that she sees and interests her at the time. 

As she dipped her brush in the acrylic paint to add another series of strokes to her canvas, she darted her eyes at the sight of Allie looking utterly wound up and frustrated. She cleared her throat before she spoke, 

“Al?” The redhead used the new nickname that had come about in the past week as they spent the past couple of weeks spending more time together between meals and homework time. 

Allie sighed and looked over at Bea, observing the focus and engagement in her roommate’s face and body language while she painted the canvas set up on the large wooden easel. She smiled softly at her friend, being one to support and encourage others to follow their passion and do what they truly love. 

“What’s up?” Allie questioned, picking her pencil back up to tap against the table. 

Bea ceased her painting to direct her full attention to Allie, making eye contact and smiling. “Do you want to have a smoke?” Bea questioned, smirking and raising one eyebrow as she tapped the end of her brush on her chin.

Allie smirked back in response as she debated on whether it would be a good idea to accept Bea’s offer. It honestly wasn’t a big deal if she were to smoke with Bea, and she has smoked since she recovered a couple of years ago finding that cannabis actually helped her. She was quite wound up and knew she could work through the issue that arose in her assignment if she would take a second to relax and look at it from a different angle. It took her another moment of doubt before tucking her pencil behind her ear and shooting a finger gun at Bea, “I’m in.”

“Who’s your favorite painter, Bea Smith?” Allie asked, climbing onto the small table which was right in front of their living room window to duck and step out onto the fire-exit. Bea finished rolling up on that small table before Allie took the lead to decide where they were going to sit and smoke. She carefully held the joint in between her fingers and followed Allie’s movement to join her roommate outside on the landing of the fire escape, three stories up.

“Oooh, that’s a tough question,” Bea said, stroking her fingers against her chin and jaw line, critically thinking about it. She reached up to grab the joint from behind her ear to light it as they sat on the cold metal staircase. 

“Before I answer, we need to smoke,” Bea lifted the joint between her and Allie, “But before we do that,” Bea caught Allie’s line of vision to make eye contact with her. “I want you to know that if you’re uncomfortable or not feeling it anymore, to let me know and we can put it out or whatever you’d like,” Bea finished, looking for a reaction from her friend.

Allie swallowed down the small amount of emotion she felt for a minute and smiled brightly at her roommate’s courtesy and understanding. “Thanks, Bea,” Allie nodded which gained a nod from the redhead. 

“Alright then,” Bea lit the lighter and winked at Allie, “Cheers!” She took a couple of puffs and relit the joint a few times to get an even burn, passing it to Allie for her to hit it. 

Bea slowly exhaled the smoke, looking up into the grey sky as she did. Her lungs were warm from the smoke as the cool air in late September surrounded them. She pulled her sweater’s sleeves down and stuck one hand in between her upper thighs to provide warmth, the other hand needed to hold the joint as she smoked with Allie.

Allie took a smaller drag at first, warming up to smoking after not having done so in a bit. Her first hit was successful in not making her cough or burning her throat too badly, so she took a longer and deeper hit. 

She passed the joint to Bea, accidentally brushing her finger against the other woman’s but not thinking much of it when Bea just brought the rolled up weed to her lips. 

“That hit touched my soul,” Allie giggled, but reveled in the feeling of taking a hit after a while, something mostly smokers understand. 

Bea chuckled as she exhaled, and the smoke was coming out in puffs as she continued. She shook her head before pulling another hit from the pineapple flavored rolling paper. 

“I know what you mean. And to answer your question,” Bea leaned over to pass the diminishing joint to her friend, “I would say that my favorite artist would be Wassily Kadinsky, or maybe Jackson Pollock.” 

Allie gave her an impressed look, “I am not familiar with either of them, but I’m sure they’re brilliant,” she finished while taking another hit.

Bea let out a belly-laugh that mixed with the sounds of passing by vehicle horns making Allie laugh in response causing her to cough on the smoke that was currently in her system. She coughed a handful more times before clearing her throat and ashing the joint to give the last few hits to Bea.

“I’m right, thanks,” Allie assured Bea who gave her a doubtful look, “I’m finished after that.” Allie smiled at Bea, closely watching her friend whom she was almost touching as they sat side-by-side. “So any reason in particular that those artists are your favorites?” Allie questioned her friend.

Bea cleared her throat after finishing off the jay, flicking it over the railing after putting the cherry out. She flipped her hair to the side to get the crazy locks out of her face to properly look at Allie. 

“They’re both brilliant and have both managed to evoke strong enough emotional responses out of me when I view their works, so I would say they could be my all-time favorites. But don’t get me wrong, I have a lot of famous and local favorite artists.” 

Allie nodded in response as she processed Bea’s response, appreciating the truth behind her words. “That’s pretty amazing, if I do say so myself, Bea Smith,” Allie finished with a smile, nudging her shoulder into Bea’s. 

“Why must you always call me by my full name, Alliecat?” She poked fun at her friend and the new nickname she came up with the other day ago that Allie secretly liked but pretended to be annoyed by. 

Allie rolled her eyes, “I’ve repeated myself a million times, you know why.” 

Bea just laughed and fixed her gaze on the buildings in the distance, propping her elbow up on the support rod that was a part of the fire-escape. “Because you think I’ll be a famous or known artist one day?” Bea questioned, biting the inside of her cheek.

“You’re bloody right!” Allie leaned into her, playfully nudging Bea in the side repeatedly which in turn shook the other woman’s body, causing them both to set off into a fit of giggles.

The pair couldn’t stop laughing at basically nothing maybe because of the THC in their systems that made everything easier and quite funnier. 

As the laughter died down, both of the women found themselves staring at different things and zoning out, catching themselves in their own worlds. Bea was reflecting on her accomplishments and talent and imagined a future where her work was in a gallery and purchased, whereas Allie was thinking about ordering pizza for an early dinner. 

“Do you fancy pizza for dinner?” Allie asked Bea, successfully pulling her from her thoughts. 

“Absolutely.” 

 

 

Allie was home alone at their flat while Bea busied herself at the studio on campus for evening workshop hours. She had a deadline in a matter of days and needed to finish up and perfect her vision and project. 

Allie loved the fact that she was rooming with an artist because their place was always filled with various pieces of Bea’s that the blonde really enjoyed and appreciated. She wish she was as creative and fluid in her art talents like Bea was, but drawing and mapping out blueprints and graphics were not easy tasks… that Allie needed to unfortunately work on. 

Since it was Friday night and technically the weekend, Allie decided that she would work diligently to complete her work and made a deal with herself that she would invite a couple of mates over for a casual hang out to reward herself for the hard work she’s been putting into her academics. She made a mental note to run it by Bea and obviously invite the woman to the lowkey shindig. 

Getting Allie’s and Bea’s mates together for a night of eating, drinking, and hanging was promising to be interesting and entertaining. But one thing that Allie knew was that she wanted to learn more about Bea Smith and seeing her in a new social setting would be quite educational. 

Just then, Bea walked through the front door with a smudge of black paint on her forehead, her wild locks mostly tamed in a messy bun atop her head, and her painting-only crewneck and ripped jeans covered in different colors of paint. 

“Eh, Bea? What do you think about a little get together tomorrow night?” Allie smiled, before taking a sip of tea from her mug and internally smirking at Bea’s reaction. 

“I’m down.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know some might not agree with smoking cannabis or understand why Allie and Bea would be smoking given their history and past, but remember that this is an AU piece of fiction and I figured these two would partake in smoking if they found themselves in uni in 2018, especially in NYC. I still hope you enjoy- it's just a bonding moment in the beginning of the story. Cheers, again!

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, everyone! This is my first Wentworth piece as I've only known about the show since the beginning of Spring 2018, so I hope my love and appreciation for the characters in this AU show and that the story is worthwhile to stick around and follow! It's been quite some time since I've written like this and I anticipate my skills getting less and less rusty as the chapters go on. It'll be a slow burning type of plot and development because I want to explore the characters and realistic happenings. Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear feedback. Cheers!


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